SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. - The fourth annual November for Noah Youth Basketball Tournament brought together 36 teams from 12 communities on Sunday, continuing a tradition created to honor the lives of Dr. Matthew Bruner, his son Noah and family friend Sydnee Brester, who were killed in a plane crash near Chadron in November 2021.

Hosted at Scottsbluff High School and Scottsbluff Middle School, the one-day event featured games for boys and girls in grades 3 through 8. Five courts ran simultaneously throughout the day as teams from communities including Chadron, Ogallala, Sidney, Cheyenne, Douglas, Scottsbluff and Gering took part. The tournament also serves as a training ground for new officials, with volunteers operating the event and first-year referees gaining experience through grant-supported stipends.

For event organizer - and Noah’s mother - Deidra Bruner, the tournament is a direct reflection of what her son lived for.

“Noah was the site manager, a ref and coach at Power 2 Play in Windsor,” she said. “His goal was to be a good ref, invest into kids and teach kids the love of basketball.”

Bruner said continuing the tournament is about carrying forward the shared values of all three who were lost.

“We just need to have something to keep living their legacy - what they lived for and what drove them. Part of that was feeding back into the youth,” she said.

All proceeds fund scholarships for local seniors. The tournament has awarded more than $16,000 in four years, including $1,000 scholarships to two Scottsbluff and two Gering students annually. A new $2,000 Dr. Matthew Bruner Health Science Scholarship was created this year.

“In the end, when we get to turn around and give that money out, it’s a big deal,” Bruner said.